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My paladin with the "Stand Still" combat feat was getting the upper hand in the fight when the monster tried a 5-foot step to withdraw from combat. The DM let me use the Stand Still ability to keep the bad guy from escaping, but I need clarification from a rules-lawyer perspective.
According to the feat description "Stand Still" the ability only applies of the opponent provokes an attack of opportunity. Since the 5-foot step doesn't provoke an attack of opportunity, can an opponent thwart the stalwart paladin's Stand Still feat by continuously taking 5-foot steps, or would this be considered a cheese-move?
Stand Still
A 5' step does indeed thwart 'stand still'. I don't know why 5' stepping out of combat would ever be cheesy - seems perfectly legitimate for a host of reasons.
If it is just to avoid triggering stand still and withdraw it fails without teleport style magic as you just 5'step follow up.
You are correct that the enemy can continuously take 5 foot steps to avoid taking an attack of opportunity from you.
Worth noting, however, is that this is ALL the movement it gets that round. So while it can avoid taking an AoO, it is running away very very slowly and there is nothing to keep you from just taking a 5 foot step yourself on your own turns.
Yes, but he attacks, 5 foot steps back
You 5 foot up and full attack.
he 5 foots back
you 5 foot up and full attack.
you may as well be holding still unless he has some sort of advantage (he's got a swim speed/ featherstep going in difficult terrain, is getting near the corner etc)
You might want to consider following this feat up with the Combat Stamina feat -- there is a nice combat trick associated with Stand Still that prevents five foot steps. You can't keep it up for long, but if you are doing enough damage you may not have to.
so, correct me if i'm wrong but can't you Withdraw and thus not provoke on your first square, also acrobatic checks...
There is nothing cheesy about using a 5 ft step to avoid an AoO, it's the very purpose of 5 ft steps.
You can partially solve this with the Step-Up feat line.
welcome to a poorly made feat. the only really use is for when people try to run directly past you. most often it will happen because of charge or if you are in the middle of a 15ft hallway. Even withdraw easily stop this feat from working. It is just to limited to the squares adjacent to you. Even reach does not help with this feat. the only things that help this feat function,in any way is terrain, or increasing your size so it makes it hard for people to just walk around your. Also another bad thing about it is a normal CMB check no way of really increasing it. While CMD gets bonus from deflection dodge, ect. I house ruled it in my game to work with any square you can reach.
I did the same thing. That "adjacent" requirement is rediculous.